Connect-1217.qxp_Layout 1 4/1/18 12:33 pm Page 1 DECEMBER 2O17 he next three days were spent travelling to Lira in the north of T Uganda to visit the Deaf Ministries School for deaf and disabled children. This school was only started in 2015 and has already graduated 87 students despite having no classrooms and very few facilities. Currently there are 167 high school aged children attending the school. The school offers courses in; sewing, carpentry, brick making and construction, cultural studies, and sign. In 2016 two dormitories were built to provide accommodation for the students. Unfortunately, these are unfinished having no floor or wall plastering, and very cramped. Students sleep on bunks three high and side by side with no room in-between! Our team took gifts of school exercise books, sports equipment, including a AFRICA full set of sports jumpers for a soccer team, pens and coloured pencils, and gifts for each teacher. These were thankfully received. A special school MISSION assembly was conducted which lasted a full day. Over the day each of the team shared a short encouraging message. The team arrived in Kampala, Uganda on Tuesday The students made many presentations June 20th. To their credit it didn’t take long for and we shared lunch together. The team also played football and danced with them to settle into African life and the busyness, the eager students, despite the CONTINUED PAGE 2 PAGE CONTINUED dust and noise of Kampala. exhausting heat! CCCAUST NEWSLETTER CCCAUST.ORG | T 02 9626 0055 Connect-1217.qxp_Layout 1 4/1/18 12:33 pm Page 2 FROM THE CHAIRMAN FROM PAGE 1 understanding of holiness. When Back in Kampala the team spent time with the was the last time you heard students at the Emmanuel Bible College. This someone say, “That person is so is the Deaf Ministries International Bible holy, they love and forgive so College which trains pastors for much of much?” Is it possible that we have Africa. A treat for the team was to have one on pursued personal holiness, one signing lessons with some deaf students. excluded relational holiness, and We attended the Saturday night worship find ourselves branded by society as service at Watoto Church in central Kampala. resounding gongs? This was one of 30 services conducted by the As I read Scripture, personal Church over the weekend across Uganda. holiness and love for the other Over 4,000 people attended the Saturday must go hand in hand. Actually night service. On Sunday, we worshipped with personal holiness without love is the deaf Church at the Bible College. The team not holiness at all. It is at best an were invited to share their testimonies and attempt at righteousness with a Jeff Weston was invited to preach. Worshipping with the deaf was a unique dose of selfishness. Does that experience for the team. Experiencing the produce self-righteousness? The Be Holy as I am Holy – enthusiasm and passion of the deaf was rich young ruler tried this same inspirational. is the inescapable approach. He kept all the command from both commands, or so he thought. He Early Monday morning the team flew to Testaments. The genesis had to be told to give up that Kisumu, Kenya. We then travelled by road to which kept his focus on self, so that the town of Oyugis to visit the Emmanuel of our tradition is heavily his eyes could be lifted to see the Christian School for the Deaf. This school influenced by the giver of his riches. His focus on operated by Deaf Ministries International, last holiness movement and riches and self-righteousness had year won the prize for the best school for the kept him from loving the other, deaf in Kenya. It offers education from kinder our churches past and thereby demonstrating that he also to grade 8. present have made much lacked a true love for God - the first It was a joy to see the development of facilities command. And so he walked away. of the pursuit of holiness at the school and to share a full day with the Is it possible for a holiness focus as essential for a “good” children. The team were invited to visit every that includes personal piety but class and share words of encouragement. At a excludes love for the other, to be school assembly, the team distributed knitted ctually the focus of much of nothing more than a focus on self Christianity can be summed hats and teddies to the children. It was a without a true love of God? wonderful day with lots of fun. Aup by the words “right belief and right action.” But if we believe It’s time to embrace whole holiness, Very early on Wednesday morning the team this there is a big hole in our love and perfection together, travelled back to Kisumu and flew to Blantyre, holiness. Even today much energy is perfect love. After all wouldn’t Malawi. We were looked after by Pastor Elton spent on cultivating personal piety; being holy as God is holy translate Mukarangeya and his wife Mary. Pastor Elton is following commands, attending, into imitating God, and therefore the Malawi field director for Deaf Ministries praying, giving, reading Scripture, Christ? What did Paul say? “Follow International. witnessing, and making sure the do God’s example, as dearly loved not’s are avoided. These things are children and walk in the way of Thursday was spent teaching at the DMI Bible College. Lessons are conducted in Pastor all good and are right to be love, just as Christ loved us and Elton’s home and only 25 students at a time pursued, but the area of gave himself up for us, as a fragrant are able to attend. Each of the team was given relationships is a gaping hole in our offering and sacrifice to God” opportunity to share their testimonies and to common understanding of holiness. (Ephesians 5:1-2). That’s perfect give a short encouraging message to students. As a result our holiness often leads love. Jeff Weston was invited to present a one and to us judging rather than embracing So, let us pursue being wholly holy, half hour lesson on forgiveness! The highlight each other. That can’t be right! It’s as God is, and do the walk of love, of the day was distributing new Chichewa like we have excised 1 John 4 and 1 as Christ did, perfectly. language Bibles to the students which had Corinthians 13 from our been purchased by Romaine Park Christian understanding. We have left David Smith Centre. There were many tears as some people invitation, welcome, compassion, CCCAust - Chairman received their very first personal Bible. forgiveness, mercy, grace, real community, the loving of one Friday, we travelled for over 3 hours by road to another as God loves us, out of our Migowi town to visit the DMI Training Centre 2 Connect December 2017 Connect-1217.qxp_Layout 1 4/1/18 12:33 pm Page 3 distributed Chichewa Bibles to members of the Church. Sunday evening was spent giving encouragement to Pastor Elton and his family. Sadly our trip came to an end on Monday when we flew out of Blantyre and home to Australia, arriving in Tasmania on Wednesday morning. Our objectives in undertaking this trip were: • To enable members of our congregation to be exposed to a two-thirds world culture. • To provide an experience of living within a deaf community and culture. • To share our faith in creative ways, not using words. • To assist our mission partners to be accountable for support they have received. • To evaluate potential development projects which will assist our mission partners to become self-sustaining. • To be able to make informed recommendations for future support to our Global Connections team. I believe we clearly achieved all these objectives. The team have been able to share with our home congregation their for Deaf and Disabled people. This is a Saturday the team visited two groups of excitement at all they experienced, and new centre only being established this orphans in local villages out from a challenge to participate in special year. The students are adults who have Blantyre. These children are billeted mission projects that they have not had opportunity to learn a skill in with Christian couples or relatives and identified. the past. They currently conduct classes come together for activities with the in sewing, knitting and crochet, local DMI pastor. We were able to share Benefit/s to persons/community: carpentry, brick making and lunch with one group and afternoon tea • The communities we visited have construction, metal fabrication and with another. At both places, we been encouraged to discover that bicycle repairs. The school has one large distributed soap and moisturizing there is a group of people on the brick classroom which was constructed cream to the children. Chichewa Bibles other side of the world that cares by the students and paid for with funds were also distrusted to the adults. received from making furniture for a about them, and stands with them in On Sunday, we travelled again to government school. their struggles. Migowi to worship with the local DMI It is hoped that in the near future they church. The service was wonderful, but • People appreciated us not coming to will be able to construct another went for over 3 hours. Each of the team do something for them, but to come classroom, and a dormitory for students members were invited to share a short alongside them and encourage them who live in outlying areas.